The Difference Between Teaching Online and Teaching In Person
For many teachers, the thought of moving from a physical classroom to a virtual one feels like a complete reinvention. It’s natural to wonder if the skills you’ve honed over years will still apply. The truth is, the core of great teaching remains the same, whether you are in front of a whiteboard or a webcam. A passionate teacher is a passionate teacher, no matter the medium. However, the methods you use to channel that passion must evolve. Teaching online and teaching in person are not just different in location; they are different in how you engage, how you deliver content, and how you build a connection with your students. Understanding these differences isn’t about leaving your old skills behind, but about adapting them to a new, powerful environment.
This isn’t about one being better than the other. Both have their unique strengths. But by recognizing the key distinctions, we can become more effective and confident in the digital space. This helps us to not just survive online, but to truly thrive.
The Shift in Engagement
In a physical classroom, engagement can be read instantly. You can see a student’s body language, notice a confused expression, or feel the energy of a room. This constant, non-verbal feedback loop allows you to adjust your teaching on the fly. Online, this is different. You can’t just walk to a student’s desk to check their work. You must be more intentional and proactive in creating opportunities for engagement.
This requires a new approach. Instead of a single lecture, you might break up your lesson with interactive polls, short breakout room discussions, or collaborative digital whiteboards. These tools force students to be active participants rather than passive listeners. The online environment also shifts the dynamic from a single teacher leading a group to a facilitator guiding individual and small-group learning. This puts more responsibility on the student, but it also gives them a stronger sense of ownership over their education.
For example, I once worked with a teacher who was an expert at leading whole-class discussions in person. When she moved online, she struggled to get students to talk. She adapted by using a tool that allowed students to type their thoughts anonymously before a discussion. This lowered the pressure for shy students and allowed her to see a wider range of opinions. She then used those anonymous points to spark a more confident, vocal conversation. She wasn’t just lecturing; she was orchestrating a thoughtful, online dialogue.
Delivery and Flexibility
The delivery of content is also fundamentally different. In a traditional setting, a lesson is delivered once, live. If a student misses it, they have to rely on a friend’s notes or a quick recap from the teacher. Online teaching offers incredible flexibility in content delivery. We can leverage asynchronous learning, which means providing materials like recorded video lectures, reading assignments, and interactive quizzes that students can access at their own pace.
This doesn’t replace the need for live, synchronous sessions. Instead, it frees up that live time for more meaningful activities. As the famous educator Maria Montessori said, “The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, ‘The children are now working as if I did not exist.'” By moving some of the information transfer to asynchronous content, our live sessions can be dedicated to what a machine can’t replicate: discussion, problem-solving, and personal connection. We can use that time to clarify difficult concepts, engage in debates, and mentor students one on one. This hybrid approach gives students the best of both worlds: the freedom to learn at their own pace and the support of a live, human connection.
A report by ResearchAndMarkets on the online education sector highlights the growing popularity of this blended approach, showing that it can improve student outcomes by catering to different learning speeds. This kind of flexibility is a key advantage of online teaching and a core reason why it’s such a powerful tool for educators.
Building and Sustaining Connection
In a physical classroom, building relationships happens naturally through small moments: a quick chat before class, a shared laugh, or a moment of encouragement after a tough test. Online, you have to be more deliberate about building this rapport. The “virtual door” doesn’t have the same casual flow as a physical one.
This means you need to be intentional about creating opportunities for personal connection. Start each session with a check-in question that has nothing to do with the subject matter. Ask students about their weekend or a movie they’ve seen. Use video to show your face and your expressions, which helps convey empathy and warmth. Hold “virtual office hours” where students can drop in just to chat or ask a quick question. These small gestures build trust and remind students that there is a human being on the other side of the screen who cares about them as a person.
One teacher I know created a simple shared online journal. Each week, she would post a prompt, and students would write a short, informal entry. It was a space for them to share their thoughts and feelings about the class and their lives. The journal was private between the student and the teacher, and it became a powerful tool for her to understand their struggles and successes on a deeper level. This kind of intentionality is what makes online teaching so personal and effective.
Conclusion and Reflection
The shift from in-person to online teaching is a journey, not a destination. It requires us to rethink our methods and to be more intentional in how we engage with our students. It’s not about abandoning what we know; it’s about adapting it. The skills of building rapport, creating engaging lessons, and fostering a love of learning are still the most important tools we have. We just have to learn how to use them in a new way.
The online world offers a vast landscape of possibilities for educators who are willing to explore. It gives us the chance to connect with students more personally, to design a curriculum that is truly flexible, and to create a learning environment that is dynamic and engaging. This isn’t just about teaching on a screen. It’s about building a better, more human-centered form of education.
For those of you who are educators, I encourage you to reflect on your own teaching style. What are the key elements of your in-person classroom that you love? How can you translate those to the online world? For students and families, consider the type of learning environment that helps you thrive. Look for a teacher who isn’t just an expert in their subject, but also an expert in human connection.